Pretty Psycho Magical Project: Kodachi!
by Ebiris
Summary: An evil force threatens the Earth! A guardian must be chosen! But can the Black Rose handle the responsibility? Especially when the evil force chooses her most hated nemesis to become her magical girl rival?


Ranma 1/2 Belongs to Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan  
  
Thanks to KPJAM, Merc, Dracos, Unseen, Ammadeau, hkmiller and DB Sommer  
for excellent C&C.  
  
Pretty Psycho Magical Project: Kodachi!  
by Ebiris (danielmcdonagh@hotmail.com)  
Chapter 1  
  
"Do you feel it? This evil energy approaching the blue Earth?"  
  
A small creature emitted a sharp gasp as it turned its attention to the  
speaker. "I... I have felt nothing..." he whispered in a tiny voice,  
even though he hardly looked like a being in posession of the necessary  
self-awareness for speech.  
  
The first speaker turned around. Her long blonde hair, which almost  
reached the floor, billowing out dramatically with the movement to catch  
the light in such a manner as to send irridescent waves rippling through  
it. "I have felt it..." she announced, her melodic voice leaving no room  
for doubt.  
  
"D-does this mean...?" the second asked hesitantly, trying and failing  
to keep doubt from his voice.  
  
The blonde woman nodded as she bent down to pick up her companion, who  
felt tiny and fragile cupped in her hands. "You know how I am  
constrained in this," she said, her voice thick with suppressed emotion.  
"I truly wish I did not have to place you in this position, my friend."  
  
The small creature in her hands felt his heart puff up with pride. He  
had always considered himself but a humble servant, to hear her speak of  
him as a friend was something he had not expected. "There was never any  
choice; I will do everything that I can to carry out your will."  
  
The woman nodded sadly, her almond-shaped eyes starting to glisten with  
as yet unshed tears. "Go now. Go to the blue Earth and guide my champion  
to defend it from this threat. I..." Now a few tears did slip down her  
porcelain cheeks, as she despaired at just how little she could truly  
do. "I will lend what power I can to... to help."  
  
"Please do not cry," the small creature urged plaintively. "We always  
knew this day would come, and must have faith that it will turn out for  
the best."  
  
She gave him a wan, but heartfelt smile at that. "Go," she said simply.  
"Go with my blessing." With that, she leaned forward and planted a small  
kiss on the creature's forehead before he seemed to vanish in a shimmer  
of sparkling motes.  
  
Her longtime companion gone, the woman returned her attention to the  
blue and white orb visible beyond the crystalline confines of her home,  
and whispered, "I will pray for you, Dokuchu..."  
  
***  
  
"Ohohohoho!"  
  
Kodachi Kuno merrily bounced along the rooftops of Nerima as she made  
her way home from school, her delightful laugh advertising her good mood  
to any who would care to listen.  
  
And why shouldn't she be in a good mood? She was young, rich, and  
beautiful; truly she was blessed by the Gods themselves. All she needed  
to make her life complete was the love of a good man, and she had just  
the perfect man in mind.  
  
"Ranma-sama..." she breathed out the name of her beloved in a reverent  
tone while alighting on a streetlight to briefly survey the plebeians  
who walked the common streets beneath her. But her Ranma-sama wasn't  
beneath her! If ever there was a man worthy of the Black Rose, it was  
he. Just thinking of being held in those strong arms of his, rippling  
with powerful yet well-toned muscle, was enough to send delightful  
shivers through her body. Truly her Ranma-sama was a man among men!  
  
It was then that Kodachi spotted something, or rather someone, that sent  
her mood plummeting. "It's that wretched pigtailed girl," she groaned at  
seeing the short redhead casually strolling along the fence below, her  
hands stuffed in her pockets while she cheerfully whistled what only the  
most tone deaf person could ever consider to be a tune. "Oh, how I  
despise you!" Kodachi hissed as she attempted to burn the little wench  
to ashes with the sheer force of her hateful glare.  
  
Just looking at the way the bitch dressed in an obviously transparent  
imitation of Ranma-sama made the Black Rose shudder with barely  
contained rage. The girl's garb even looked like it was oversized enough  
to fit on Ranma-sama's larger frame! She might not be able to fault the  
pigtailed girl's taste in men (except for the few times she led Tatewaki  
on, though it was pretty obvious she was just cruelly playing with him -  
which was something Kodachi could respect), but her desperate copying of  
Ranma-sama's appearance and mannerisms hinted at a dangerously unstable  
mind.  
  
And people called *her* crazy? The thought was enough to make Kodachi  
laugh. Which she did. With great aplomb.  
  
The pigtailed girl looked up at the blood curdling noise and visibly  
flinched, an act which only increased Kodachi's mirth. If she could  
still inspire fear in the only person to ever defeat her, then she must  
be doing something right!  
  
Now feeling more secure of her situation, Kodachi dropped from her perch  
to land lightly on the chain link fence that the redhead was walking  
along. "And how are you on this fine day, pigtailed girl?" Kodachi  
inquired in a syrupy voice, leaning forward and using her superior  
height to intimidate the other girl. "Coming up with some plot to seduce  
Ranma-sama away for yourself, hmmm?"  
  
The pigtailed girl's previously nervous expression changed to one of  
marked distaste, and when she matched Kodachi's gaze, the taller girl  
realised she probably shouldn't have pushed her like this, for there was  
a simmering anger in those cerulean eyes, which warned that she was not  
going to put up with much crap today. "Not everyone is obsessed with  
stuff like that, Kodachi," she ground out, clenching her small fists at  
her sides.  
  
"Liar!" Kodachi spat right back. "How could any woman not think of such  
things when it concerns such a fine specimen as Ranma-sama? You want him  
just as much as the rest of us do, admit it!"  
  
The pigtailed girl recoiled as if struck before firming her stance once  
more. "I sure as hell don't, Kodachi! Besides, Ranma is..." she paused  
and her expression once more showed distaste, "Akane's fiance."  
  
Kodachi snorted in a nonetheless ladylike manner. "Pish tosh! Ranma-sama  
is also engaged to that Kuonji girl and... married or some such  
according to the backwards tribal law of that Chinese wench. A man such  
as he is not to be tied down by the arrangements of others! Ranma-sama  
will follow his heart to find true love, and I aim to make sure that he  
finds me!" she postured dramatically as she finished her little speech.  
  
The pigtailed girl looked slightly flustered, and blushed quite  
noticeably, which gave Kodachi some pause as it was not the reaction she  
had expected. Then, seeming to collect herself, the pigtailed girl blew  
up her bangs in frustration before looking the other girl in the eyes.  
"Look... Kodachi," she said, trying hard to keep her tone light, but  
obviously coming across as very irritated. "You should just give up on  
Ranma... it'd be best for everyone if you did."  
  
"Hmph. Better for you perhaps. But I am not so easily deterred. For a  
prize such as Ranma-sama, I can overcome anything!" With those  
determined words, Kodachi twirled her ribbon and leapt onto a nearby  
rooftop, bounding across Nerima and spraying black rose petals as she  
went. She was laughing of course; laughing loudly and incessantly.  
  
***  
  
Kodachi had returned to the noble Kuno estate, and was greeted at the  
front hall by two blown up pictures of two smiling female faces, one of  
Akane Tendou, the other of the pigtailed girl. To add further insult,  
the picture of the pigtailed girl clearly showed she was wearing a  
leotard, meaning the picture came from the martial arts rhythmic  
gymnastics match in which she had defeated Kodachi.  
  
Kodachi growled low in her throat. It was an unspoken truce of the Kuno  
household, that she would keep her pictures of Ranma-sama in her bedroom  
or the greenhouse, while Tatewaki would keep pictures of his two 'loves'  
in his bedroom or the dojo. All other parts of the house were supposed  
to be neutral, to avoid setting off the volatile tempers of either Kuno  
child.  
  
"Looks like Tatewaki woke up stupid today." Kodachi murmered, snapping  
out her ribbon to shred the offending portraits.  
  
She had barely begun her task when her older brother charged into the  
hall, bokken held high above his head. "Horrid woman! How dare you  
strike at the images of my two loves!"  
  
"Oops," Kodachi remarked coldly. "My hand must have slipped." Her ribbon  
lashed out to slice into Tatewaki's hakama, causing him to step back  
slightly. "Oh, there it goes again. Be careful, brother dearest, I seem  
to be awfully clumsy today."  
  
"Foul wench!" Tatewaki snarled angrily. "It is bad enough that you  
defile such images of feminine beauty, but to strike at the noble Blue  
Thunder? This defies comprehension!"  
  
"It is only difficult to comprehend for your limited intellect, brother  
dear." Kodachi lazily twirled her ribbon in a small loop, but remained  
poised to lash out at the least provocation. "It is unseemly for such  
garish images of those two harlots to decorate the halls of the Kuno  
home."  
  
"And what of your foul images of that fiend Saotome?" Tatewaki  
challenged, visibly restraining himself from attacking.  
  
"You leave my Ranma-sama out of this!" Kodachi screamed, losing her cool  
exterior for a moment before regaining her poise. "Besides, I only keep  
those photos where I can see them, so you have no reason to get upset."  
  
Tatewaki raised his bokken high, clutching it so tightly that his  
knuckles turned white. "The very notion that images of that fiend should  
find residence in any room within the noble Kuno estate is a crime  
against our ancestors! The heavens weep at this injustice!" Obviously  
feeling great sympathy for the heavens, Tatekwai started crying himself,  
though of course, in a dignified and noble fashion.  
  
Kodachi sighed at her brother's theatrics. "Speaking of the pigtailed  
girl, I ran into her on my way home today. She asked me to pass  
something onto you."  
  
"Truly...? But of course, my sweet pigtailed girl no doubt yearns for my  
presence! So much so that she even risked speaking with a frightful  
creature such as yourself! Pray tell what did the no doubt blushing  
maiden ask to be conveyed to the noble Blue Thunder?"  
  
"She gave you flowers. Catch." Kodachi tossed a bouquet of black roses  
which Tatewaki reflexively caught before being stunned by the small  
burst of paralysis powder from them.  
  
Now feeling slightly better, Kodachi headed towards her room, leaving  
her insensate brother behind.  
  
***  
  
Dokuchu took in his surroundings with a faint sense of awe. Admittedly,  
the narrow street overlooking one of Tokyo's numerous storm canals and  
bordered by middle-income housing wasn't all that impressive. Especially  
compared to the crystalline cathedral high above the Earth which he  
called home, but the very newness of his situation was enough to impress  
the small creature.  
  
"I can feel it... the one with the potential definitely passed here  
recently!" he said as his senses stretched out to find the one who could  
protect the world from the approaching threat.  
  
Wrinkling his pert little nose, Dokuchu looked this way and that. From  
what he could tell, there were actually several people in this city who  
possessed the right aptitudes and potential...  
  
"Oh, this is rather confusing... I wish I'd had more practice at this,"  
he lamented while trying to isolate the one which would best serve to  
become a protector against evil, since he only had one chance to bestow  
the power, and if he chose the wrong person it could prove disastrous!  
  
Deciding to take a systematic approach, he set off to find the nearest  
candidate. After he viewed all of them, he'd make his decision.  
  
***  
  
Arriving at the location of his first possibility, Dokuchu had settled  
into a comfortable spot under a bush by the koi pond to observe things  
before he made any attempt at contacting the girl who could potentially  
save the Earth. This gave him the perfect opportunity to witness such  
insanity as to tempt him into letting the 'approaching evil' have its  
way with the planet.  
  
"Boy! Your fiancee is cooking dinner! Be sure to eat it all up. Tendou  
and I are going on a training trip!" a portly, balding man in a dirty  
white gi yelled at the petite redhead whom Dokuchu was observing.  
  
'Boy?' wondered the small magical creature.  
  
The girl seemed enraged at these words, and started yelling furiously,  
"No way, old man! I'm not gonna suffer by myself! Either we all eat it,  
or none of us do!"  
  
"Ranma-kun, can't you show some loyalty to your fiancee?" the other man  
wailed, this one taller than his companion (and also possessing a full  
head of hair).  
  
"Can't you show some loyalty to your daughter?!" the girl now identified  
as Ranma, shot right back.  
  
At this man curled into a ball and started crying while his friend  
patted him on the back in an ineffectual effort at comforting him and  
glared at the girl. "You made him cry, have you no shame?"  
  
Before Ranma could retort, another girl entered Dokuchu's field of  
vision. This one looked about the same age as Ranma, and appeared rather  
harried with her short hair frazzled and her apron covered in filth.  
"Would you all stop yelling?! It's hard enough to concentrate on dinner  
without hearing this!" she screamed loudly.  
  
"Uh... Akane..." Ranma piped up timidly, no doubt intimidated by the  
other girl's verbal barrage, "If you need to concentrate on cooking, you  
shouldn't leave the kitchen."  
  
Akane blithely waved off those concerns. "Don't worry, Ranma. I left the  
heat up on full so it won't get cold. This'll be the best dinner you  
ever ate, trust me!"  
  
There was a loud sizzling noise of pots boiling over, followed by a  
series of loud pops and wet squelching noises coming from the kitchen.  
  
"Probably be the last dinner I ever eat..." Ranma mumbled quietly,  
though not quietly enough.  
  
"What did you say?!" Akane asked politely. As politely as one can ask  
when every vein in your forehead is visibly throbbing and you're  
desperately reigning in the overwhelming urge to severely maim the  
person you're talking to.  
  
"I have come to claim my bride!"  
  
"Huh? I didn't say that!" Ranma protested, looking around frantically  
for the source of that booming statement.  
  
"Nay, 'twas I, Prince Ynesbrg!"  
  
Everyone's eyes turned to rest on the figure alighted on the wall  
surrounding the Tendou dojo. He was a fairly unimpressive figure of a  
man, even if you discounted the fact that his skin was a rather  
unhealthy puke green colour, standing at a full four and a half feet  
tall and dressed in little more than a loincloth that looked like it was  
made of seaweed. Perhaps the oddest thing about him (besides the green  
skin) was the fin like protuberances coming from his back, upper arms  
and calves.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here, then?" Ranma demanded, though she did  
look slightly relieved, probably because his appearance had distracted  
Akane from meting out punishment...  
  
Prince Ynesbrg postured dramatically before speaking up in his booming  
voice that was incongruous with his diminutive stature. "The portents of  
the dreamers pointed me to this place where I may find my bride; the one  
whose dark recipes will provide fuel for the awakening of the Old Gods  
who slumber deep beneath R'lyeh! Akane Tendou, I have come for you!"  
  
At this, Ranma doubled over in mirth. "Haha! That tells us everything  
about your cooking, Akane!" she guffawed merrily until a small piglet  
emerged from underneath the table and leapt up to scratch at her face  
with its little (and surprisingly sharp) hooves.  
  
"Hey, don't insult my cooking! You're upsetting P-chan!" Akane yelled,  
brandishing her mallet threateningly.  
  
"Dammit pig! Why don't you eat her cooking then?!" Ranma gave P-chan a  
vicious kick which sent him flying against the wall underneath Prince  
Ynesbrg.  
  
This was where Dokuchu decided he had seen enough. Deep One cults were  
not under the purview of magical girls and their cuddly mascots, no way  
did he want to get involved in that. Besides, seeing how Ranma had  
treated that cute little piglet did not bode well for any relationship  
she might develop with a cute magical girl mascot such as himself.  
  
Dokuchu ran from the Tendou dojo as fast as his little legs would carry  
him, the sounds of explosions and screaming seeming to follow him as he  
fled...  
  
***  
  
"Okay... choice number two..." Dokuchu remarked to himself as he snuck  
in through the slightly open window on the second floor of a small house  
only ten minutes away from the Tendou dojo (of course, at the speed he  
was fleeing that makes a considerable distance).  
  
He could feel this one was weaker than any of the others with potential,  
but since that Ranma girl had been the strongest, Dokuchu was quite  
aware that raw power wasn't the be all and end all.  
  
Looking at the sign on the bedroom door where her aura was most built  
up, he read the name 'Sayuri' which was most likely the name of the girl  
he wanted. She wasn't in that room right now though, but he could hear  
someone moving around in the bathroom across the hall, and sensed her  
aura was in there, too. There was no one else in the house as far as he  
could tell.  
  
"Oh shit!"  
  
Dokuchu's head snapped towards the bathroom door in alarm at that  
frightened yell. What was wrong?  
  
"It's positive!"  
  
Positive?  
  
"Oh god, I don't even know who the father could be... it's probably  
either Souichirou-sensei or Daisuke... I doubt it's Shiro... Damn! It  
better not be Hiroshi or Yuka's gonna kill me!"  
  
Comprehension dawned over Dokuchu as he listened to the girl's panicked  
babbling. Well, pregnancy would rule her out for the hazardous job of  
being a magical girl. Besides, he didn't really want the future of the  
earth placed in the hands of such a loose girl...  
  
***  
  
Dokuchu looked around in confusion. He could have sworn the third person  
was here, but all he could see was an old lady rinsing her front porch  
and a wet cat. Straining his senses, he confirmed that the aura was  
coming from the cat.  
  
'Well, that's no good,' he decided. 'A cat can't become a magical girl  
to save the planet.' Besides, cats just plain creeped him out.  
  
***  
  
"I hope this one is okay... she's my last hope..." Dokuchu told himself  
as he entered the large house, blissfully unaware of the many fatal  
traps he had avoided thanks to his tiny size.  
  
Making his way through the mazelike interior of the mansion, Dokuchu  
followed his esoteric senses which unerringly guided him towards the  
last potential magical girl he had been able to detect.  
  
Entering the room she currently resided in, Dokuchu was able to  
stealthily observe her from where he clinged to the ceiling.  
  
She was hunched over a desk, still dressed in a school uniform and  
concentrating intently on the books scattered haphazardly in front of  
her.  
  
'She's studious, that's always good!' thought Dokuchu with some good  
cheer as he noted that the chemistry problems she was working on seemed  
to be at a rather high level.  
  
Looking around the room, he noted it was very clean and well kept, with  
many different flowers dotted around to brighten things up (although  
most of the flowers were black roses, there were a few others which  
provided a nice contrast). Also, the bookshelf was filled with difficult  
looking books on chemistry and botany, and a large cabinet contained  
lots of trophies for various gymnastic competitions, and also revealed  
that her name was Kodachi Kuno.  
  
'A healthy mind and a healthy body! Looks like I've hit paydirt with  
this one!' Dokuchu was more than pleased as he prepared to reveal  
himself to the girl and bestow upon her the power to protect the planet.  
  
***  
  
Kodachi yawned as she closed her book and stretched languidly. A glance  
at the carriage clock on her nightstand showed it to be just after five.  
"I suppose I had best make a start on dinner. Father will be home soon  
and Tatewaki will be waking up as well..."  
  
She was then rather startled as a small animal dropped from the ceiling  
to land on her bed. It looked like a rodent nearly half a foot in length  
with a short fluffy tail. Its fur was mostly purple except for on top of  
its head, which was green and slightly longer than the rest, giving a  
shaggy effect.  
  
Kodachi's mouth formed a small 'o' as she stared at the bizarre little  
creature, and her shock only increased when it started to talk. "My name  
is Dokuchu, I've been looking for you, Kodachi."  
  
The gymnast wobbled in her seat for a second before collecting herself.  
"How odd. It appears that the extract from those lilies I was working on  
this morning have a delayed hallucinogenic effect. I shall have to make  
a note of this..."  
  
"I'm not a hallucination, Kodachi! You have to listen to me!" Dokuchu  
protested earnestly in his squeaky little voice.  
  
"Of course you're a hallucination," Kodachi said in a condescending  
manner. "But don't worry, it should wear off soon enough, so I can  
ignore you until then."  
  
"No, seriously, I'm a space lemming, and I've come to find you!" Dokuchu  
said insistently, standing up on his hind legs and making a begging  
gesture with his forepaws.  
  
"A miniature giant space lemming?" Kodachi asked, sounding quite  
serious.  
  
Dokuchu blinked at that absurd idea. "Of course not! I'm perfectly  
proportioned!" he said indignantly before calming slightly. "Anyway,  
Kodachi, the earth is threatened by a great evil, and only you have the  
power to save it!" Well, he sure as hell didn't want to work with that  
Ranma girl, and the other two options had been duds...  
  
"Ohohohoho!" Kodachi covered her mouth with the back of her hand and  
laughed gaily. "Of course only one such as I could possess the qualities  
needed to protect the world!" she then blinked and calmed down with a  
visible effort. "Still, I shouldn't allow my hallucinations to get me so  
excited, it's not healthy. I'll have to ignore you now, little space  
lemming thing."  
  
"My name is Dokuchu! And I'll prove I'm not a hallucination!" he started  
chanting in a strange language as an ethereal breeze seemed to sweep  
through the room. A nimbus of power began to collect around the space  
lemming, followed by a similar one around Kodachi. "I have prepared a  
channel between yourself and the Goddess. Say the words from your heart  
and you'll receive her power to protect the Earth from evil!"  
  
Deciding that she would have to give this hallucination points for  
effort, Kodachi nonetheless felt that things were going too far. She  
tried to tell Dokuchu so, but a different set of words flowed from her  
lips.  
  
"Give me the power to defend against evil, the strength to protect love,  
and the spirit to never falter! I am... Cutey Thorn!"  
  
A storm of flower petals, encompassing every hue of the rainbow,  
flurried around the girl, who threw her head back in rapture at the  
power she felt flowing through her veins. At the same time, several  
thorny vines snaked around her body  
  
Dokuchu blushed and averted his eyes when he noticed her school uniform  
disappearing. Her modesty was still protected by the petals and vines,  
but it was still extremely suggestive. Of course, it still didn't do  
anything for him - he was a lemming after all, not a man - but he had to  
respect his new charge's dignity.  
  
When the lightshow died down, Kodachi was still standing there,  
twitching slightly with her head lolled back and her eyes closed. And  
she had a massive grin on her face. But the most noticeable thing was  
the change in her attire.  
  
Starting from the bottom, her feet were now covered in black rose petals  
which overlapped each other and came up to her calves to almost look  
like boots from a distance. Then her legs were completely bare up to her  
crotch which was barely covered by several silver ribbons which snaked  
in-between her legs and looped around her waist, leaving very little to  
the imagination. Her breasts were similarly on display, being barely  
covered with a mixture of black rose petals and cherry blossom which  
overlaid each other to form a continuous covering over each breast up to  
the nipple and around her back, but left the valley of her cleavage  
totally open for viewing. She had nothing covering her arms except for  
several thorny vines twisting around each forearm, and although the  
jagged barbs looked quite wicked, they seemed to cause the girl no  
discomfort. Lastly, her side ponytail was now bound by another small  
thorny vine instead of its usual ribbon.  
  
Kodachi's head rolled forward and she blinked a few times, still  
sporting a goofy grin. "I don't believe I've ever felt a rush that  
intense, and that's saying something!" She then spotted her reflection  
in the mirror and blushed furiously, covering her cheek with a palm.  
"Oh, my! Such a scandalous outfit! I simply must wear it to my next  
gymnastics competition! Oh..." her smile took on a decidedly lecherous  
quality, "I wonder what Ranma-sama will say when he sees me like  
this..."  
  
Sadly before she could drift off into a pleasant fantasy about Ranma,  
Dokuchu interrupted. "You can't wear it for competitions or seducing  
your boyfriend! This is what you look like when you're the fighter  
against evil, Cutey Thorn!"  
  
Kodachi arched a delicate eyebrow. "Cutey Thorn?" she repeated the name  
incredulously. "I think not. My peers have always known me as the Black  
Rose, and that I shall continue to be known!"  
  
"No! This is meant to be a secret identity. You can't let people know  
who you really are when you're like this!" Dokuchu protested vehemently.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"It's too dangerous!"  
  
Kodachi smirked, "I laugh in the face of danger." Putting action to  
words, she did just that, letting loose a gale of psychotic sounding  
laughter.  
  
Dokuchu floundered for a second before recovering his wits. "If people  
know you're really a magical girl superheroine they'll constantly harass  
you! You'll never get a moment of peace."  
  
Kodachi considered that for a second before responding. "I don't really  
care about that, but maybe having a secret identity would be fun... so  
is this like those shoujo manga where no one can tell my true identity  
even though I'm not disguised in any way?"  
  
"It's magic." Dokuchu nodded smugly.  
  
A wicked glint appeared in Kodachi's eyes. "Oh yes, I see there is much  
potential in this..."  
  
***  
  
End Chapter 


End file.
